Lid with straw positioning means

ABSTRACT

A lid having a pair of flexible wing elements which are configured, arranged and dimensioned to flexibly engage and automatically incline a straw positioned therebetween.

United States Patent 1191 Tanzer Jul 2, 1974 [54] LID WITH STRAWPOSITIONING MEANS 3,184,134 5/1965 Coh n et al. 229/7 5 6] Inventor: J nTanzer 411 N. 7th Brookfielmwia 6310] FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS[22] 1971 9,743 10/1927 Australia. 229/7 s [21] Appl. No.: 175,250566,676 12/1932 Germany 215/1 A Primary Examiner-William 1. Price if giAssistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus issi F i eld 0 1 sLlii ii111111111229/175 13 7 s 43- 220/902; 215/1 A, 56 [57] ABSTRACT 5 References CitedA lid having a pair of flexible wing elements wl iich are UNITED STATESPATENTS configured, arranged and dlmensloned to flex1bly en- 2 956 72]10/1960 B n n 229/43 gage and automatically incline a straw positioneden e 3,048,317 8/1962 Cochrane ct al. 229/7 s therebetwegn' 3,171,5803/1965 Davis et al 229/7 S 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures Pmtsmim 2 m4INVENTOR JOHN TANZER ATTORNEY SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Where soft drinkbeverages and the like are sold over the counter in disposable paper andplastic cups and containers, snap-in paper and over-cap plastic lids areutilized to prevent spillage. At the same time, it is desired that theuser be able to drink the contents of the container without removal ofthe lid. For this purpose, a straw is conveniently inserted through anaccess opening provided in the lid.

The prior art is replete with many different kinds of straw accessopenings that can be provided in a lid. Typical examples of this areshown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,048,317 and 3,387,765 which represent twotypes of straw access openings which have been used commercially. Thesepatents suggest that a number of features are desirable in acommercially useful straw access opening. In general, it has been foundthat the straw access opening is preferably designed to prevent anyappreciable spillage of liquid while allowing any pressure built upwithin he container to be vented and, at the same time, permit the strawto be easily inserted, without deformation, into a container.Additionally, it is also desirable that the straw access opening provideautomatic inclination of the straw when inserted through the lid as wellas be simple in design to require minimum tooling and fabrication costs.However, the straw access opening designs which are capable of providingthe features as are disclosed by the above patents are not also suitablefor automatic straw inclination as well as low tooling and fabricationcosts.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lidwith a straw access opening which has advantages heretofore unobtainableby prior art designs.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide astraw access opening for a lid which permits automatic inclination ofthe straw while being simple in design to require minimum tooling andfabrication expense.

Another object of the present inention is to provide a straw accessopening for a lid which, inaddition to the aforementioned object,prevents appreciable spillage of the liquid, allows any pressure builtup in the container to be vented and permits a straw to be easilyinserted through the lid into the container.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention areobtained by the provision ofa lid which includes a pair of flexible wingelements which are configured, arranged and dimensioned to flexiblyengage and automatically incline a straw positioned therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a top plan view of disposableover-cap plastic lid which incorporates a straw access opening which isconstructred in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the lidshown in FIG. 1 including the straw access opening thereof;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the plastic lid illustrated inFIG. 1 and depicting a straw just prior to being inserted through thestraw access opening;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the lid similar to FIG. 3 andillustrating a straw inserted through the straw access opening of thlid; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a containerwith a lid wherein the lid includes a straw access opening as disclosedherein in order to permit the straw to be moved from the dotted verticalposition when inserted through the straw access opening of the lid tothe inclined position to facilitate sipping from the straw.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS While the lid shown in thedrawing is of the plastic 2 over-cap type, it will be apparent thatsnap-in paper lids, if sufficiently flexible, may be utilzed with equalfacility.

The plastic over-cap lid 10 illustrated in FIGS. 15 of the drawingincludes a diaphragm-like closure or top covering wall 12 which may beprovided with a circular reinforcing rib 14, if desired. At theperiphery of the lid 10, a rim engaging area 16 is provided with inner,top and outer wall sections 18, 20 and 22 respectively which aresuitably configured relative to the rim of the container with which thelid 10 is assocated in order to provide a snap-fit relative thereto. Inthe case of a paper disc-type lid, whic is adapted to be snapped into agroove formed in the container side wall, the rim engaging area 16 isnot required.

Attention is now directed to the straw access opening 24 of the presentinvention. As is clearly depicted in the drawings, the straw accessopening 24 comprises a generally T-shaped slit having a cross-barsection 26. and a leg section 28. Preferably, the T-shaped slit isformed in the diaphragm-like wall 12 of the closure 10 in an off-centerposition in order to permit a straw inserted through the T-shaped slitto be disposed, for example, in the full-line position illustrated inFIG. 5 as will become apparent.

The use of a T-shaped 24 in an off-center position with the leg section28 of the T-shaped slit closer to the periphery of the lid 10 than thecross-bar section 26 provides a number of advantages.

Referring first to FIGS. 3-5 of the drawing, it will be seen that when astraw 30 is positioned above the leg section 28 of the T-sh'aped slitand then pressure is applied to insert the straw 30, the T-shaped slit24 will open up as is seen in FIG. 4 of the drawing to permit the straw30 to be inserted. As this is done, portions of the diaphragm-like wall12 on opposite sides of the leg section 28 below the cross-bar section26 form a pair of flexible wing elements 32, 34 respectively whichflexibly engage and automatically incline the straw 30 from the inserteddotted line position illustrated in FIG. 5 to the full line inclinedposition to facilitate sipping from the straw 30.

In order to facilitate bending or flexing of the flexible wing elements32, 34, hinge or fold lines 36, 38 may be formed between the free endsof the crossbar section 26 and the free end of the leg section 28 as isillustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawing.

In order to provide the automatic inclination of the straw 30 wheninserted through the T-shaped slit, the flexible wing elements 32, 34must be appropriately configured, arranged and dimensioned in order toachieve this. More specifically, the flexible wing elements 32, 34 aredesigned to flexibly engage the straw 30, when inserted therebetween,and at the same time,

force the straw 30 against the inner edge 40 which is formed by thecross-bar section 26 of the T-shaped slit 24. As the wing elements 32,34 flexibly engage the straw 30 and force it against the inner edge 40,the effect will be to incline the straw 30 from the dotted to the fullline position illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings'when the userreleases the straw 30 after inserting the same. The action that isproduced on the straw 30 by the flexible wing elements 32, 34 may bereferred to as a snubbing action in that the straw 30 is suddenlychecked or brought from a vertical to an inclined position as has beendescribed. The snubbing action that is produced is dependent upon anumber of factors such as the size and shape of the wind elements, theflexibility of the wing elements, the location of the wing elementsrelative to the periphery of the lid, etc. It will suffice for thepurposes of the present discussion to indicate that the wing element 32,34 must be appropriately configured, arranged and dimensioned in orderto flexibly engage and automatically incline the straw 30 which ispositioned therebetween.

In addition to the automatic inclination of the straw 30, the T-shapedslit of the present invention affords a number of other advantages. Itwill be apparent that minimum tooling and fabrication costs will berequired in order to produce the T-shaped slit 24 in order to achievethe automatic inclination of the straw 30. Further, the T-shaped slit 24provides limited egress of liquids from within the container with whichthe lid is associated while providing a limited vent space in thecross-bar and leg sections 26, 28 of the T-shaped slit to permit theventing of any air or gas pressure built up within the container whenthe lid is assembled thereto. Where an additional vent opening isrequired, a small hole may be provided in a number of areas of the T-shaped slit such as, for example, the area in the vicinity of thejuncture of the cross-bar and leg sections 26, 28 of the T-shaped slit24. It will further be appreciated that the T-shaped slit 24 literallyenables the straw 30 to be inserted therethrough without any deformationof the straw.

The straw access opening of the present invention thus providesmultifold advantages which heretofore have been unavailable. The shapeor configuration of the straw access opening is limited only insofar asthere must be provided a pair of flexible wing elements which areadapted to flexibly engage and automatically incline a straw positionedtherebetween. Thus, while the T-shaped slit 24 is the preferred form ofthe invention since it achieves a number of advantages, the shape orconfiguration of the straw access opening may be modified within theabove parameters. For example, the cross-bar section 26 can be bent intoeither an upright or inverted V-shape which, together with the legsection 28, will provide the desired features of the present invention.

From the foregoing, it will now be appreciated that the presentinvention provides a unique straw access opening in a lid which givesmany advantages which heretofore were unavailable.

1 claim:

1. A plastic lid including a T-shaped slit formed in the top of theplastic lid adjacent the periphery thereof and having a cross-barsection and a leg section, said T- shaped slit defining a single pair offlexible wing elements on each side of the leg section which arehingedly connected to said lid in acute angular relationship to eachother, said T-shaped slit being arranged such that the leg section ofthe T-shaped slit is closer to the periphery of the lid than thecross-bar section of the T-shaped slit, and a straw inserted into theflexible wing elements of the T-shaped slit in the plastic lid, saidstraw being engaged by the pair of acute angular flexible wing elementsto cause said straw to be forced against the marginal portion of the lidadjacent the cross-bar section of the T'shaped slit while being inclinedrelative to a container with which the lid is associated.

1. A plastic lid including a T-shaped slit formed in the top of theplastic lid adjacent the periphery thereof and having a cross-barsection and a leg section, said T-shaped slit defining a single pair offlexible wing elements on each side of the leg section which arehingedly connected to said lid in acute angular relationship to eachother, said T-shaped slit being arranged such that the leg section ofthe T-shaped slit is closer to the periphery of the lid than thecross-bar section of the T-shaped slit, and a straw inserted into theflexible wing elements of the T-shaped slit in the plastic lid, saidstraw being engaged by the pair of acute angular flexible wing elementsto cause said straw to be forced against the marginal portion of the lidadjacent the cross-bar section of the T-shaped slit while being inclinedrelative to a container with which the lid is associated.